Old and Ancient
by Steampunk Kid
Summary: Modern Setting. Jovana Hazel Cranitz lives with her family in England where every year her family goes on a vacation trip. Along with that tradition comes the fact that someone must stay behind and take care of an old man who lives in a cottage nearby. This year it is Jo's turn and during this summer she comes across a mystery that has been buried for many years.
1. Chapter 1

Old and Ancient

"Old and ancient. That's what they call him?" This wasn't heading in a very good direction, she could tell.

"Don't forget loopy!" Her younger brother quickly added poking his head into the room.

"Ben! Get out of our room now!" Her older sister shouted, throwing a sock at the door to emphasis her demand.

Yep. Definitely not a good direction.

"You're going to have loads of fun with Uncle Owen." Her older sister's voice rang with sarcasm that could be detected easily by even a mouse. "Tell him we all said hi!"

She collapsed on her bed and released a sigh of desperation. _Uncle Owen indeed! He wasn't even related to them! He was just some old quirk who her family took it upon themselves to look after him. He didn't even want them too._

"Isn't it illegal to constantly trespass on this guy's property?" She did not want to go.

"Oh rubbish! It's not illegal. He's an old man who can't take care of himself. If it weren't for us he would probably be put into a nursing home or something! And stop whining! You didn't want to come to Mexico anyway." Her sister neatly folded on of her turtleneck sweaters and placed it in her suitcase.

"Why should we care? He isn't even our uncle! Anyways, I'd rather go to Mexico than get stuck with some old coon!"

"Jovana Hazel Cranitz that's enough!" Jovana heard her sister snicker and frowned. She hated her name. Hated it! She always liked 'Heather' or 'Harmony' or something that began with an 'H'. But instead people enjoyed calling her 'Jo' or even worse 'Little Jo'. The horror.

"Yes Mom." She said quickly in order to avoid the lecture that was coming.

It didn't work.

"Uncle Owen is dear friend of our family and he will be treated with respect within this household! He is an elderly man that needs to be looked after, especially when we are gone! Now I will not hear any more complaints about the matter. Is that understood?"

Ana didn't want to nod her head. Didn't want to say yes. She wanted to continue arguing until they let her off the hook. But she knew it was useless, she wasn't going to get anywhere. So she nodded her head and admitted defeat, for now.

Her mother relaxed immediately and her oh-so-familiar smile appeared back on her face. She flung the kitchen towel she had been holding over her shoulder and then exited the room.

"We'll be leaving in about five minutes. Make sure you've double-checked everything you've packed Eva." Her mother instructed.

Ana groaned in frustration and plopped back down on her bed. Of course her sister got to go. She got everything she wanted, including a beautiful name: Evangeline Joy Cranitz.

Silence took control of the room for two minutes before Eva spoke.

"You're already packed?" Eva asked, back towards her as she continued stuffing her bag.

"Yep." Ana only packed the necessities, unlike her sister Eva who felt like she needed to have everything with her.

Silence returned for another minute, until Eva once again spoke.

"It might not be as bad as you think."

Ana took a moment to ponder this phrase, she sounded seriously. She pushed herself up and looked across the room.

"What do you mean?"

Eva had stopped packing and was now closing the door. Ana raised her eyebrows in confusion but remained silent. Once the door was shut Eva walked over to Ana's side of the room and stopped just in front of her. This was bizarre. She never came to her side of the room.

"You might meet someone there." She whispered.

Ana scoffed and jumped off the bed, she crossed to Eva's side of the room and turned to face her sister.

"You can't still be thinking about your imaginary friend, are you?" She crossed her arms.

Eva narrowed her eyes and straightened her shoulders, "He isn't imaginary!"

Ana shook her head and smirked, "Eva, it was funny the first time but this is-"

"It was not funny!" Eva shouted and stomped back to her side of the room. Ana swiftly moved back to hers. "He is real! He just didn't show up that day!"

"Or the next!" Ana shot back.

Eva threw up her arms in surrender. "Fine! You know what? Forget I said anything. I was trying to give you something fun to do while you're there but never mind! I hope you have a terrible time."

With that Eva zipped her suitcase shut, grabbed her purse, a purple bag and left the room in a rush.

"Move Ben!"

Ana looked up and saw Ben moving to get out of Eva's way. Once her sister left, Ben remained staring right back at her.

Ana couldn't help but relax as she stared at her little brother. The little seven year old always had a way of calming her down. Whether it was his look of innocence or his funny habit of carrying his wooden sword with him wherever he went she didn't know. Right now his usual visible light brown curls were tucked behind his ears and lay hidden under his green and black striped beanie. He wore a green flannel jacket, blacks pants, and brown mud books. In one hand he held his small blue backpack and in the other he held his wooden sword.

Ana motioned for him to come in and his face lit up immediately. He dropped his pack and ran into the room, Ana bent down as he flew into her arms for a hug.

"I wish you were coming!" Ben said as he hugged her like she was going to disappear forever.

Ana smiled, "We'll see each other soon. Remember to take note of everything that goes on so you can tell me everything that happened when you come back, alright?"

Ana felt his head bob up and down and then he seemed to freeze, "Are you going to look for Emrys?"

Ana smiled before gently pushing Ben away to look him in the face. Of course he absolutely loved the idea of this young man, this 'Emrys' as her sister and brother called him, showing up out of nowhere to chat and talk about medieval times as through he had been there. Eva had convinced both of them that he had existed but when she tried to introduce him to them he never showed up. Ana was certain that Eva was playing games with them but Ben still had faith.

"I'll keep an eye out for him." She said

"Yes!" Ben exclaimed as he thrust his wooden sword upwards, striking a victorious pose.

Ana snickered.

"Benjamin! Jovana! Time to go!" Her mother shouted from downstairs.

Ben ran out of the room, neglecting his backpack, and headed straight for the stairs. "Coming!" He shouted.

Ana shook her head and sighed. _This is going to be the worst summer ever._ She grabbed her suitcase and picked up Ben's backpack on her way out of the room.

* * *

**Author's Note~**

**So I am in the midst of writing another story called Racing Time, a Race to Witch Mountain fanfic. However, I uploaded this story to see which one gets more attention, if any. **

**Please review if your interest has peaked with this idea.**

**I do not have an update scheduled just yet for this story, possibly next week, it depends…. on what you guys think. *nudge nudge***


	2. Getting Settled

Getting Settled

**AU: **I don't own anything to do with Merlin. Nothing is mine, except Jovana, Ben, and Eva.

**Also, if you are reading the Redwall book Taggerung, please be aware there is a slight spoiler for that book in this chapter.**

It was a forty-five minute drive to Uncle Owen's cottage, which resided near a large lake in South Cadbury, England. The closer they got to their destination the more dull and grey Ana's mood became. She kept her head down the entire ride, not daring to look out the window. Eva was sitting in the passenger seat talking with their mother about how long the plane ride would take and how long they would be staying in Mexico. By Ana's calculations she would be staying with the 'old coon' for five months, five very long, dreary, and exhausting months.

Ben sat beside her. His nose deep in one of his favorite book series to read called Redwall. His sword lay beside him, like a loyal companion.

Ana placed her headphones over her ears and started playing instrumental music. The music began with a slow piano solo and Ana closed her eyes and let her mind wander to wherever it went.

Surprisingly, Ana found herself thinking about someone she hadn't thought of in years: her father, Charles Cranitz. The man had been a historian and had often visited the old man they were heading to right now. Ana never heard Eva mention their father when she came back after staying with Owen for her five months, so she guessed Owen wasn't much of a storyteller. Their mother, when she did mention their father, would repeat the exact same story. It was the story of their first meeting and although it was cute to hear how her parents met in a bowling alley, it got old once she realized that was all she was ever going to get.

The only other thing she knew, that her mother never talked about at all, was that her father had disappeared shortly before Ben had been born. Ana had been ten years old at the time. One would think she might have a few stories of her own to tell about her father, but she rarely saw him. In fact, Ana wasn't sure if the times she did remember seeing him were a dream or not. He was the mystery in her life.

"No!"

Ana jerked up in her seat and turned to watch Ben throw his book to the floor of the car in frustration.

Ana raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong, Ben?"

Ben had his arms crossed over his chest, "Tagg died."

Ana cocked her head to the side, "What are you talking about?"

Ben picked up his book and pointed to the cover _Taggerung._ "He died."

Ana shrugged, "You sure?"

Ben raised an eyebrow, "But it said-"

"Keep reading." Ana intervened and smiled.

Ben's eyes widened and he flipped through the book to get back to his desired page.

"Okay," Her mother piped in and Ana felt her last supply of happiness stolen away. "We're here."

Ben stayed focused on his book. Eva twisted in her seat to look at her.

"Have fun!" Eva's sarcasm still ever-present as she smiled.

Ana sighed and looked out the window.

A small cottage lay at the end of the half circle driveway. The chipped faded white paint and over grown plants didn't help the mood. A large homegrown garden could be seen to the right of the house. The house, itself, sat in a large open field with tall grass inhabiting the majority of it. To the far right and left there was a dense tree line that created a border all the way down to the beach that was hidden behind the house.

The sky was covered in dark grey clouds, hinting of a storm making its debut. There was a strong chilly breeze that made the tall blades of grass dance around the cottage house that stood not twenty feet from their car.

"Alright, Jo, time to go!" Her mother announced, giving her a verbal nudge to leave the car.

Ana grabbed her brown purse and rubbed Ben's head, "See ya around, 'Bengi'!"

Ben looked up from his book and hugged her again, "Be safe!"

Ana squeezed him tight before opening the car door. She closed the door and went to the trunk to retrieve the rest of her luggage. As she pulled her two suitcases from the car she constantly snuck glances towards the cottage. No one had come out to 'greet' them or even 'scold' them and warn them to get off the property. Ana was hoping on the last possibility. However, even when Ana placed her luggage by the front door there still was no sign of life.

Ana walked up to the car and bent down to look in the car window, "Please, Mom?"

A loud screech, coming from the cottage door, answered Ana's question. "What's going on here?" Ana gripped her purse tightly and inhaled quickly before turning to face her adversary.

"Hello, Owen! It's Amie Cranitz, remember? I'm dropping Little Jo off for the summer." Ana turned to face her mom, her face scrunched in a wince. _Really, Mom?_ If only Ana knew whose idea it was to call her Jovana! She would have a long conversation with that person.

Her mother was unperturbed by the look as she continued talking to the old man, "She's going to keep you company while I take Eva and Ben to Mexico." Ana's mother called from the car. Ana bit her lip, to hold back a sigh, as she returned her stare to her 'Uncle' standing at the top of the stairs.

By her own assessment, Ana concluded the man seemed to fit the description she had been told to a tee! His face was covered in wrinkles and was framed by bright white hair. Both his snowy hair and beard extended to the middle of his chest. He wore a long dark blue peacoat with a blue beret. His posture was slightly crooked as he leaned forward. He rested his hand on the stair railing to keep himself from tipping over.

A strong breeze made Ana clench her mouth shut, it felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped on her. She unconsciously took a step forward, which seemed to break the awkward silence that had grown.

"How many times do I have to try to make these words stick?" The man shouted but remained where he stood. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth turned down in a permanent frown. "I don't need you're help! I can take care of myself without any of your pesky kids trying to run their own nursery. Good day!"

Ana winced as the door slammed shut, she squinted towards the house as she was almost certain the whole cottage shook from the violent movement. Ana tensed up immediately while red flags were being thrown at her from all different directions. This was not good. She didn't want to stay. She shouldn't stay. How did her mom know this guy wasn't some crazy man with a bloody axe hidden somewhere in the house?!

Her mother leaned towards the passenger window. "Alright, Ana, time for us to go. We'll call you once we have landed in the States, okay? Go on in and unpack. Have a good summer!"

Ana swirled around to stare at her family, almost convinced this would be the last time she would see them. She wanted to shout at her mom, convince to let her come. Or at least sneak into the back of the car and take her chances from there. Unfortunately, Ana knew nothing she could say would change her mother's mind. She sighed. "Yes, mum."

"Relax, honey, you're going to love it." Her mother smiled, but in earnest it seemed.

Ana rolled her eyes and waved her hand as the car pulled out of the driveway. She couldn't help but snicker as she heard her brother shout out his favorite movie quote.

"Adventure is out there!" Then the car was gone.

Did her mother want to get rid of her? Ana almost believed the answer was yes, she knew she wasn't her mother's favorite.

She would have been content with just watching the road where her mother's car had just disappeared. Sadly, another gust of wind made Ana stumble towards the last place on Earth she wanted to be at.

The stairs creaked as Ana slowly made her way up. She prayed the door wasn't locked for fear the man would never let her in. Though was that a good thing or a bad thing?

The door gave an earsplitting squeak as it slid open; Ana took a deep breath before entering. She closed the door and turned to face her new 'home'.

To Ana's utter surprise the inside of the cottage looked rather nice, compared to the outdoors. The white wooden walls gave a beach theme, as there were pieces of rotten wood decorating the shelves with shells and sea glass. A coat rack stood beside the door along with a shelf for shoes. She had entered into a small kitchen where there was a table with two chairs, a fridge, counters and a sink.

Leaving the kitchen, Ana entered into an equally sized living room. Two couches, one coffee table made with two boxes and a slab of wood laid across inhabited the middle of the room. Bookshelves leaned against the walls, they were overflowing with old books and a few statues here and there. A single armchair sat in a corner, opposite the room from her near a sliding door that lead outside. A wooden table and an electric lamp stood beside the chair near the bookshelves.

Turning to her right, Ana noticed a narrow hallway that lead to a bathroom, a closed door and more wooden stairs. Ana stayed rooted in the living room, clutching her luggage, not knowing what to do.

She took another deep breath before speaking, "Uncle Owen?"

There was a loud thud and mumbling before a door at the top of the stairs opened and her 'uncle' slowly came down the stairs.

Ana took a few steps back, towards the door. Judging by the wailing of the wood she was certain the stairs would collapse underneath the man.

"So your mother left you after all?" The old man asked, stepping onto the floor and entering the kitchen.

Ana opened her mouth but no words came forth. She closed it then opened, and then closed it again.

"Can you speak?"

Ana coughed and did her best to smile, "Huh, yes! Yes, I can."

The man nodded and narrowed his eyes at her. She hoped he didn't notice her swallow.

After a few minutes of awkward silence the man sighed and gestured over his shoulder to the stairs. "You can dump your things upstairs in your room. Make your own dinner, I already had mine. Tomorrow morning we'll work on setting you up on the chores."

"Chores?" Ana bit her lip.

"Yes!" The man looked at her as though she was crazy. "You're here so you might as well do something useful! I've got chickens in the back that need feeding, a garden that needs tending, weeds that need to be pulled and a fence that needs to be painted! Not to mention the cleaning of the boathouse or the fetching of the groceries." The man opened the fridge and began rummaging for something to eat.

Ana was glad of this, that way the man wouldn't see her gaping jaw. She was going to get paid for this right?

As the man shut his fridge Ana shut her mouth. He held a glass cup of milk in his hand and turned to head towards the closed door in the hallway.

He raised his glass as he added, "See you in the morning." He opened the door before pausing and turning, "Oh and don't be calling me 'Uncle Owen', Owen is just fine."

Ana nodded her head vigorously, they agreed on something at least. She cleared her throat before replying, "See you in the morning, Owen."

The man nodded and entered his bedroom as the door slammed behind him.

Ana remained staring wide-eyed at the closed door. Maybe she could call a cab and stay at her friend Bella's house? She sighed, remembering her friend was in Italy for the summer. She shook her head and grabbed her luggage and made her way up the stairs.

Upon opening the door to her bedroom, Ana felt a little sigh of relief escape her. Thankfully, the room was a pleasant surprise like the downstairs. The ceiling had an angle to it as she realized she was in the attic. However, a mattress lay on a slightly mounted wooden base. The head of the bed was covered in pillows that had sheets on them. The bed was fully made and had a small nightstand with no drawers. There was a half circle window by the feet of the bed. There was also a bookstand, with a few old books, a table, and a chair.

Ana dropped her stuff by the door and walked over to the bed sheets, she sniffed them and they smelled clean. Nevertheless, she didn't want to take any chances and began to remove them. She had packed her own sheets and knew she would be fine with them. However, she kept the large comforter close by since she didn't know how cold it would be at night.

She wasn't hungry so she felt like she would just get in her PJs and read, phone a friend, or just try to sleep. She felt like tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

**\\\~Author's Note~/**

**Wow! Look at all the dust that has settled on this! I am very sorry for having taken ages for this update. And I apologize that not a lot happens in this chapter. :/ I hope you still enjoy it and are still intrigued with the story.**

**Thank you Superwaaaaa and ravenclaw13anthena for your reviews! Your posts made this chapter happen. I hope you continue to enjoy the story. I do have a plot laid out now, all I have to do is right it!**

**Enjoy!**


	3. No Adventure

**Thanks goes out to:**

Chevalier Luis

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Kallie01

Signal27

Superwaaaaa

UltimateOne

black-cherry-blossoms98

fireflower297

kissedbynight

knobrien21

ravenclaw13athena

And anyone who favorites this story.

**This update happened because of you!**

Now onto Chapter 3, No Adventure

Ana jerked upward as she became aware of loud banging coming from her door.

"What?! What?" She mumbled as she struggled to get out of the bed.

"Are you planning to sleep the day away?" The familiar cranky voice hollered through the closed door. She could almost tell there was a smile on the man's face while talking. "Sun's almost here and there are chores to be done."

Ana was in the middle of flinging the blankets off the bed but froze mid-swing. "Before sunrise?" Her eyes were barely open.

Loud creaking announced the man's departure as he inched his way down the stairs. "You've got a lot to do today. Best to start now. Come on down if you want breakfast first!"

Silence. Ana stared at the ceiling, completely aghast about what lay before her. Sunrise! Breakfast with a cranky not-related uncle and then chores!

She pushed herself off the bed and stumbled to her suitcase. "You've got to be kidding me."

She spent the next 20 minutes getting ready to face the day. She didn't put any real care into what she wore. Hence she just threw on socks, jeans, and a grey t-shirt with a blue thin jacket over it. Her hair was pulled back in a French braid down the back.

As she trudged down the stairs she found herself in disbelief about what her day held in store for her. Would she be doing chores all day long? From sunrise to sunset?

She walked into the kitchen and paused at what was before her. Sitting at the table was Owen staring at her. What caught her attention right away was his blue eyes. They shone that deep-sea blue color and they seemed more vibrant than someone his age. On top of that Owen wasn't scowling at her, he was smiling.

"Breakfast is served."

On the table were two plates. Both dishes had the exact same serving presented.

Ana raised an eyebrow, "Ham, cheese, and biscuits?"

Owen picked up his knife and began to cut one of his biscuits in half. "Dig in!" He said as he continued to make a sandwich.

Ana slowly approached the table. "Th-Thank you." She stuttered as she sat down and reached for her glass of water. As she started to nibble on the cheese she continually stole glances at her flatmate.

The old man paid little attention to her as he munched down his ham and cheese sandwiches. He took a sip of water and then paused.

"Right, so you have chores to do today."

Ana winced, "Yeah?"

He stood and picked up his plate and crossed over to the kitchen sink to clean his plate. "You should start with the chickens then water the garden. There's a stable in the back and I need you to muck it out." He finished cleaning the dish and crossed back to take his peacoat off the coat rack. As he began to put his cloak on he continued speaking, "The last thing I need you to do is count the goats."

"Count the goats?" Ana shifted to lean back in her seat.

"You do know how to count, right?"

Ana stared incredulously at the old nut.

"Good. Then make sure you take note of how many there are." He sat in his chair as he began to put shoes on. "There's rumor of a large beast that snatches livestock."

"A large beast?" Ana asked disbelievingly.

He finished putting his boats on and leaned back in his seat to stare at Ana for a few seconds. "There's a legend of a monster in this land. It's said she snatches up any unattended livestock and any nosy or curious children." He pushed himself up to his feet with a huff and opened the door. "You'll have to make lunch and dinner for yourself. Be sure to finish your chores before dark."

"Where are you going?" Ana stood up and caught the door before it closed.

"I've got chores of my own, if you must know! Don't take forever with your breakfast! And don't go near the boathouse, the place is likely to collapse onto itself any day now. I'll be back late tonight. Good luck!"

Ana shook her head, "Where's the chicken feed?"

"In the barn. Can't miss it. Don't forget to feed the goats!"

"Goat feed?"

"In the barn!"

"What about-"

"In the barn! Be done before dark." He waved without looking back. With hands in his coat pocket Owen trudged to the road, turned left and walked on.

That was it?! Ana rushed back inside and slammed the door behind her. She squeezed her hands into tight fists and bit her lip. Ooo, was she angry! She didn't even know where to start complaining!

She stomped forward and snatched her plate and cup off the table to place them in the sink before retrieving her shoes.

She walked through the living room to leave through the back door. Upon leaving the house she was greeted by a bright light peaking over the horizon, announcing the sun's arrival.

The backyard was much larger than Ana had imagined. It stretched far ahead to the very shore of a large lake. By the shore was the supposed boathouse between that and the cottage was a big fenced pasture where many a goat frolicked about. Closer still was a small white wooded barn which stood abutting the garden that reached out and crawled up the very wall of the beach house.

Ana zipped her jacket up and took a moment to simply stare, anger forgotten for now. It was a stunning sight. To add another surprise was the piece of land in the middle of the lake, whether it was an island or not she couldn't determine. However, the silhouette of castle ruins and the mist rising off the lake gave the whole view a mystery and yet peaceful feel.

Ana sighed. Alright, maybe just maybe this was a bit prettier than Mexico.

A rooster crowed and that seemed to jolt the memories back to her. She trudged down the steps of the small wooden platform that worked as a porch. With hands in her jacket's pockets she made for the small barn.

Over the next hour she fed the chickens and the goats. She disliked the chickens the most, with their constant clucking and sharp talons. Plus the rooster was just a bird with over-protecting issues. Every time she got close to a chicken the rooster seemed to think she was there to break their necks and have dinner or something! It chased her, flew at her, and scratched at her until she would retreat out of the pen.

The goats however couldn't have been sweeter or less playful for that matter. They jumped around her and nibbled at the food in her hands. They followed her and cheerfully nuzzled her when she caressed their soft fur. After counting 27 goats she moved on.

She then attacked the garden with its infernal weeds that dared to show off their leaves. After weeding she watered the plants. All in all it took about 2 more hours.

It was then she took a break until noon and had lunch. Then came the most horrendous job of all, cleaning the barn. The size of the manure seemed to hint of a larger animal but Ana didn't see any other signs of such a thing. She made a note to ask Owen about it later. Still she shoveled the foul smelling excrement into a wheel barrow in order to roll it away and dump it on the far side of the barn.

Once done with the barn Ana retreated to the cottage to take a long shower before retiring for the rest of the day in the living room to read some of her books and listen to music.

It was well after dinner, after the sun had set that she heard the front door open. Ana pulled her earphones out and sat up straight to see Owen take his coat off and hang it on the rack.

"Productive day?" Ana asked as politely as she could.

Owen paused in his actions to look at Ana. His face turned from a scowl to a gentle smile. "As well as can be expected. How about you? All done?"

Ana tilted her head, unsure what to make of his answer but didn't dwell on it for long. "Yep. Though that rooster is quite nasty."

Owen offered a single chuckle of delight before sitting down to take off his shoes. "Well best not stay up too late. I'll have some more chores for you tomorrow." He stood and moved to the entrance of the living room. "Good night, Jovana."

As Owen headed towards the hallway Ana jumped to her feet.

"Owen!" He paused, his bright blue eyes meeting her. Ana crossed her arms over her chest before speaking. "Hazel. My middle name is Hazel and I prefer if you call me that."

There was silence for a moment and then the man nodded. "Good night, Hazel." He turned and exited the room.

Ana remained still for a few minutes. Now it seemed unclear to her whether she should be mad or not at the old coot. Despite the hard work things didn't seem as bad as she thought they would be. Something intrigued her about the old man, he was cranky and yet that smile alluded to another person.

Ana collected her items and then headed to her bedroom to prepare for another mysterious day.

**\\\~Author's Note~/**

**Uh, wow! Who remembers this story? Heh heh. Believe it or not I have had several other fan fiction ideas since this one but every time I want to post something I see this story and how many people seemed to enjoy it and I have guilt. So I decided to try and finish this story. I do have an outline I just need to write it! This particular chapter I felt necessary because I wanted you guys to get an idea of what a regular day would be like for Ana.**

**Also, I smile when I thought to have ham, cheese, and biscuits as their breakfast, it brings back good memories!**

**So, still interested in knowing what happens?**


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